


Heading East

by rev0luti0nary_reptiles



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Bad motels, Herc loves peach rings, M/M, Road trips are weird and i wanted to attempt to capture that sort of spotaneity, Roadtrip, They'll meet everyone along the way, kinda cliche
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-11-06 09:15:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11033205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rev0luti0nary_reptiles/pseuds/rev0luti0nary_reptiles
Summary: John Laurens is heading east, fleeing from his perfect family. On the way he meets Alex, a young man fleeing from something of his own.





	Heading East

**Author's Note:**

> To be honest, I'm just posting this because I'm sad and need validation (and because NK isn't quite finished). That being said, my other story got hella comments and I'd love to hear what you have to say about this one. I think I've written the next chapter as well.   
> Also I never think of titles until I get here hshdjdj. I have nothing against sex workers or anyone by the way :)

Being alone was a strange thing. John Laurens had never really been alone. Sure, he'd had the occasional Boy Scout trip or the few weekends on a church retreat, but still at twenty-one years of age, John hadn't ever felt as alone as he did now. 

It was a good thing, he thought, of this being alone. Of course he'd only been driving for a day, a long day, and it didn't feel very different from running errands yet. 

He finally stopped for the night around nine. His eyes were heavy, and it had been almost twelve hours nonstop driving.

"Do you want girls?" The motel clerk whispered, his voice hoarse- yet soft enough so the family in the corner wouldn't hear.

"What?" John's voice cracked and he felt like he sounded ten. 

"Girls, like, come to your room, make you feel nice, girls," The motel manager snarled, moving behind the clerk. 

John thought he must have looked as red as a stop sign at this point. 

"N-no thank you..I'm fine. No girls for me tonight." 

When he finally got into the room (which was as seedy as his first impression with the place), he leaned back on the stiff comforter and sighed, looking over at the other bed. After a bit, he decided to call up the front desk to check that this was his room. 

"Hello, I-"

"Ya want some girls?" He could tell it was the second man.

"Um, no, but if I was interested..you keep saying girls." He said, placing an emphasis on the s. "Do they come at a group rate or -?" 

"For an hour, you could get three for eighty-two bucks. Can't beat that. They're really hot too. I recommend-"

"Nnnnnnno, I don't need to know about your recommendations." John laughed. "I called to ask if I was in the wrong room, there's two beds." 

"You aren't. This once was a couples retreat and then a hookup place for swingers. We just never thought to take 'em out."

"Ohh," John replied, imagining all the germs. 

" 'Zat all? You want anything else."

Laurens hung up. He didn't want anything else or anyone else. He wanted to feel better about his decision to do this alone. His pops had thought he was crazy, thought he was absolutely bonkers for taking a trip by himself. And he'd probably think he was even crazier when he didn't stop in South Carolina. But Laurens wasn't a child , and he definitely wasn't interested in living his life in fear anymore. 

He spread his blanket onto the ancient bed and leaned back, placing his head on his turtle Pillow-pet. And slowly he fell asleep. 

—•—•—•—•—•—

John woke up shivering. He glanced at the alarm clock which read six-thirty and felt that it was a good a time as any to get up. So, he just got up. He refused to shower in the nasty motel and instead wiped himself down and put on a random graphic tea, some black skinny jeans, the same blue sweatshirt he had worn the day before,and his favorite black cap. 

After he got packed up, John checked out quickly, happy to see that no parts of his car had been stolen. His car was a dark blue Mercedes he had gotten for his eighteenth, but John was meticulous about his things, so it was in almost pristine condition. 

—•—•—•—•—•—

He drove until about nine, because he had forgotten to get something to eat and he didn't want to forget any longer. John pulled his car into a truck stop ( which he had heard was a bad idea) and got a donut and milk from the large man behind the counter.

"Rah! This all you're getting? Might be a good thing to load up on gas," the man said, his voice booming through the small shop. "Or peach rings... I love those." 

"I'll be back, I'll um set up my car and come back inside to pay, okay?" John said smiling and nodding, liking this guys' energy. 

He got his car ready for gas, then bought a full tank of gas and his donut and milk.

"Hey! You forgot something!" The man said running after him with a package in hand.   
"Your peach rings!"

"I didn't—"

"I misspoke, everyone loves peach rings."

John nodded again, balancing everything under his arm to reach his hand out.

"Your name sir?"

"I'm Hercules Mulligan, not that I need an introduction," he pointed down at his nametag before shaking John's hand almost aggressively. 

"Well thank you Hercules, I got to get going."

"Sure you do, anyways here's my card. If you run into any trouble, I got some friends to back you up. And it's just Herc." He passed his card to John. 

"Okay, thanks again!" John waved before returning to the car to fill up on gas. 

—•—•—•—•—•—

He got on the freeway about nine twenty and was glad he left early, because the traffic wasn't that bad. John drove, and he drove, and he drove until he saw him.

And then his heart dropped. 

'Him' was this guy, this boy on the side of a desolate road. And he looked so helpless that John just had to pull over. He knew his dad would kill him if he picked up a hitchhiker and that wasn't what he planned to do, he just wanted to buy him a sandwich or something. But then again, did it really matter what Henry Laurens thought, when he was across the country cozy in his mansion?

"Hey," John whispered, causing the boy to lift his head up a little.

"Hello." Oh. He wasn't a boy at all. Just small...

"Where are you headed?" John asked, digging into his wallet for some money for something he could give to the guy.

"N-New York. You?" He replied, looking down at his feet.

"East. Are you looking for a ride?"

"Yes, sir."

"How old are you? Are you carrying drugs or anything?" John sounded like his dad who was always making assumptions.

"I'm almost twenty and I only have Advil or whatever you call it here. For headaches. I don't do drugs. But I have a pocketknife. I can give it to you if you want." He looked up all the way and John immediately blushed when their eyes met. His eyes were piercing and his hair was flying everywhere in the wind.

"I'm John Laurens .You can sit in the backseat, I don't know how far I'll be able to take you, but maybe it'll help. Don't stab me and we're good." He shrugged. 

"Thank you John, it will definitely help. I have money too, just a bit for gas and expenses so..." He laughed at the last part. "I promise I won't stab you. I'm Alex."

"It's fine. Welcome aboard, Alex." John opened the car door. He was nervous to be driving with someone he didn't know, but a part of him was excited to be with someone new.

**Author's Note:**

> Comment! Kudos! I appreciate it!!


End file.
